John Lenegan - Capable Dads

“So you’d just sit in a room and be scared?”

I saw versions of this comment repeatedly after my home-intruder video.

It completely misses the point.

If someone breaks into my home, my objective isn’t to catch them. It isn’t to protect my car keys. It certainly isn’t to prove how brave I am.

My objective is to keep my family safe.

If there’s a clearly safe way to get everyone out and away from the threat, that’s my first choice.

Distance is your friend.

But what if you can’t safely get out?

Then I want my family together, behind a locked door, with the police called, not moving around the house trying to work out where an intruder might be.

Because every room you walk into introduces another unknown.

Where are they? How many are there? Are they armed? Are they between you and your children?

You have absolutely no idea what you’re walking into.

A knife. A weapon. Something thrown at you. Even boiling water from your own kitchen.

Why would you voluntarily close the distance on an unknown threat?

Get your family together.

Put a locked barrier between you and the threat.

Call the police.

Keep a safe way out available if circumstances change.

That’s not “sitting there scared.”

That’s having a plan.

And if somebody then tries to force their way through that final barrier, that’s a very different situation.

You don’t need to be brave enough to go looking for trouble.

You need to be disciplined enough not to.

If you find posts like this useful, I’ve also put together a free guide:

https://john-lenegan.kit.com/c47abe64cd

7 Simple Safety Habits That Could Protect You & Your Family.

Notice earlier. Stay safer.

One day, your child will leave the house without you.

They’ll walk to school alone.

Get on a bus without you.

Go into town with friends.

Stay home alone.

Go on their first date.

And eventually, they’ll be somewhere something goes wrong…

and you won’t be there.

That’s why I don’t think keeping children safe is just about protecting them.

It’s about preparing them.

Teaching them how to make decisions when they’re scared.

What to do when the plan changes.

Who to approach for help.

When to leave.

When to call you.

And when to trust that feeling that something isn’t right.

We spend years teaching our children how to cross a road.

We should put the same thought into teaching them how to navigate the world without us.

Because independence shouldn’t begin the day you stop holding their hand.

It should begin while you still are.